Bishop Peter Jugis kneels before the Blessed Sacrament inside St. Peter Church during Holy Hour at the 2023 Eucharistic Congress. Renovations of the 131-year-old church are set to begin in May. (Troy Hull | Catholic News Herald)CHARLOTTE — Charlotte’s historic St. Peter Church – the oldest church in the Diocese of Charlotte – will begin a major renovation project in mid-May after more than a year of planning and fundraising.
“We’re still in the final stages of planning but our hope is that the project will begin on May 13,” said Jesuit Father Tim Stephens, pastor. “Our last day in the church is May 12, and on May 13 we start emptying the church of everything that can be moved, from chalices to candlesticks and hymnals.”
Mass will be celebrated in the church’s adjacent Benedict Hall, located at 500 S. College St., for the duration of the renovations. The current goal is for the project to be complete by the end of August, Father Stephens said.
It will be the first major renovation for the 131-year-old building since the 1980s. The scope of the project touches almost every part of the structure. The ceiling in the church will be replaced. The original hardwood floors, including subflooring, will also be replaced.
Other improvements will include enhancing weather proofing of the exterior, and repairing and painting of the bell tower. Lighting will be retrofitted and improvements made to the interior and entryway to improve access for all.
The church’s historic pews, a gift from St. Katharine Drexel in 1910 – who donated the pews with the requirement that at least one row be reserved for African Americans – will be moved to an off-site location to be restored and reinstalled, Father Stephens said.
In response to feedback from parishioners, the church’s sound system is also being updated and improved.
“One of the biggest questions we usually get from people is how can they hear better. The nice thing is that there are things that can be done, and that’s what we’re trying to accomplish,”
Father Stephens said. “We’re trying to determine things like how different sound systems work with different kinds of hearing aids, so I’m learning a lot about technology. The last time the sound system was updated was around 2008, and there have been a lot of technological changes since then.”
Parishioners have been enthusiastic about the project. A capital campaign launched in August to fund the renovations exceeded its goal of $2.6 million by collecting more than $2.7 million in pledges, Father Stephens said.
A recent liturgy workshop drew 55 parishioners who asked questions about how Mass will be offered in Benedict Hall, including details about where ushers and extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion will stand.
Charlotte-based Edifice Inc. is the general contractor for the project. Vincent Ciccarelli of Insight Architects is the architect, and Melissa Countryman of JLL is the project manager.
The parish consulted with the Diocese of Charlotte’s Office of Divine Worship and the Construction and Development offices on the project plans.
St. Peter Parish was originally formed in 1851, when Father J.J. O’Connell laid the cornerstone for the original church. Six Benedictine monks served at the church before the original building was declared structurally unsound due to foundation damage caused by a munitions explosion at the end of the Civil War, according to a published parish history.
In 1893, the cornerstone was laid for the Victorian Gothic-style building that currently stands at 507 S. Tryon St. in Charlotte.
— Christina Lee Knauss